Before I was a food writer, I was that girl who flooded her friends’ social media feeds with cell phone pictures of what she was cooking and eating.

There’s no shortage of humorous memes out there about people like me, I know!

Three summers ago, I posted a picture of the Mexican Street Corn Soup I’d made for dinner, and my phone lit up with a flurry of notifications. Comments ranged from, “I need this recipe!” to the descriptive, “I’m drooling all over my keyboard,” and the suggestion that led us to where we are today, “Start a food blog already, Amanda!”

When I thought about it, creating a place to share recipes with friends sounded like a fun idea. Except, I soon learned that to start a blog, you have to know stuff other than how to make soup. Things such as what you want to call your site (let’s not even talk about how long I dwelled on that detail), the technical end of navigating blogging software, and the magical, mysterious world of SEO.

By the time I got my act together that year, corn season was long over. It only occurred to me last week, as what had to be my ten-thousandth pot of this soup simmered on the stove, that I’ve never published the recipe!

As a lifelong Jersey girl, summer corn practically runs through my veins. We have some of the sweetest, most delectable varieties here in the Garden State, with the coveted Silver Queen (white) and Butter and Sugar (bi-color) being my personal favorites.

Nothing beats a simple grilled ear of corn at a barbecue, rolled in butter and sprinkled with sea salt, or topped with cheese, herbs, spices, and lime, à la Mexican Street Corn. At peak season, the corn is so ripe that you can even eat it uncooked.

That said, I have a serious weak spot for corn soup. Take those same elements you enjoy “on the cob” and simmer them into a naturally rich, creamy, full-flavored soup and I’m in heaven.

Mexican Street Corn soup is as easy to make as it is versatile to serve. The heat level is customizable to your personal preferences (I like mine mild, but feel free to go to town with the chili powder if that’s your thing!).

To “up” the smoky quality, you can certainly grill the corn instead of pan-roasting the kernels as directed below, but don’t skip the step of simmering the stripped cobs in the broth. I’ve always been amazed by how much sweet, milky deliciousness is hidden in the cobs themselves. They’re a natural flavor trove! I like to serve this soup hot as a light dinner, but have made something of a habit out of having the leftovers chilled for a refreshing lunch.

To my family and friends who have encouraged me from the start and have been endlessly excited about the recipes I’ve shared on Striped Spatula: Thank you. It’s long overdue, but this soup’s for you!

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Mexican Street Corn Soup

This Mexican Street Corn Soup is made with fresh corn on the cob. Frozen or canned corn will not yield the same flavor and are not recommended.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Remove 1-1/2 cups of corn mixture from the pot and set aside. Stir broth and 6 stripped corn cobs into the pot, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Use tongs to remove corn cobs from pot and discard.

Stir sour cream and Cotija into the soup. Transfer soup to a blender or food processor (in batches, depending on the size of your unit for safety), or use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth.

Return soup to pot and if needed, gently reheat to desired serving temperature. Stir in half (3/4 cup) of the reserved corn mixture, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and chili powder.

Toss remaining 3/4 cup corn with lime zest and 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro. Serve soup, topped with a few spoonfuls of the corn mixture, and an extra sprinkling of Cotija, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Tip: To strip corn, place cob horizontally on a cutting board and shave the kernels with a sharp knife, rotating the cob as you go. Alternatively, brace the tapered end of the cob vertically in the center of a Bundt or tube pan, shaving the kernels from top to bottom as they fall into the pan.

Have you made this recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below! Don’t forget to take a picture and tag @stripedspatula and #stripedspatula on Instagram for a chance to be featured in my newsletter!

Reader Interactions

Comments

This has my name all over it, girlfriend. I might have to wait until at least late summer (because it’s like 100F here right now and I don’t think I would be able to have soup), but this soup and I have a date as soon as the weather cooperates!

Ive never made corn soup before and i made this recipe tonight to the T and it blew me away. It turned out exactly how i imagined and hoped and this will be my go to from now on for corn soup. Utterly fantastic!!!!

Made this tonight. I used a “Mexican crumbling cheese”, but it seemed to get the job done. Also, I squeezed a bit of lemon instead of lime, because, well, use what you have, you know? I paired it with an apple walnut salad and garlic bread. It was a hit, so I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Chantelle, You can definitely make the soup the night before and refrigerate. The starch in the corn might make the soup thicken overnight. If it looks too thick after you’ve reheated it, add a little additional broth and gently simmer for about 5 minutes.

Made this tonight and everyone RAVED about it! So delicious. I added Chorizo to it (cooked it first, removed it from the pan and then cooked the corn/onion mixture). We love chorizo in anything Mexican so it went perfectly in this! I also added a bit of smoked paprika. And I used pepper jack cheese as I couldn’t find cotija. So good. I’ll be making this again very soon!

This soup is amazing. I’ve made it now at least 4 times and we LOVE it. Tonight I added a little sherry. I keep saying I’m going to add some smoked chicken for protein. My husband and I both think it’s one of the best recipes I’ve tried. Easy, fairly quick and worth every bite.

Hi Kelli, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe with canned and frozen corn. Simmering the stripped cobs really does make a difference to the flavor of the soup; I encourage you to give it a try sometime. Thanks for commenting!